A Mother's Love
by Lady Knight 1512
Summary: Sequel to my other fic 'Who's That Girl'. This fic continues Lily and James' story from 6 months after their wedding up until their deaths. This will include Harry's birth, the Order of the Phoenix and a few other bumps along the way. CHAP. 3 is an AN.
1. Reunion

**A/N: HELLO! This is the beginning of the long awaited sequel of 'Who's That Girl?' my Lily/James fic. All you people who read 'Who's That Girl?' and are back for more, welcome back. All of you who haven't read it, welcome!**

**Disclaimer: Here we go again! I own only Courtney and Gabby.**

**PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS A SEQUEL. YOU DON'T HAVE TO READ 'WHO'S THAT GIRL?' BEFORE YOU READ THIS, BUT THERE MAY BE A FEW COMMENTS AND OBJECTS FROM THAT STORY WHICH HAVING BEARING ON THIS ONE. IF YOU WANT TO READ IT, PLEASE, GO AHEAD, IF NOT, ENJOY THIS ONE.**

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**A Mother's Love**

**Chapter One: Reunion**

Lily Potter nee Evans was stressed. She had arrived home an hour ago, tired from work and intending to take a hot bath but before she could even remove her cloak, an owl had arrived.

The note it bore was written in a simple and slightly scrawled hand and Lily instantly identified her husband's handwriting. The note informed her simply that Sirius was back from wherever he'd been and that he and their other three old school friends would be joining them for dinner.

In a slight panic, Lily had hurried to her fridge. There wasn't a great deal of food in the house, just enough for herself and James. She had planned to go grocery shopping the next day.

Rummaging through her freezer, Lily came out with a box of eight apple pies and a tub of ice cream; perfect for dessert but not for the main course.

Mumbling about unexpected guests and James' gall, Lily changed into Muggle clothes in a flash and hurried over to the local supermarket where she purchased six chicken breasts, potatoes and a large pumpkin.

Running home, Lily put everything down in the kitchen and, with a flick of her wand, set everything in motion.

As previously mentioned, Lily was stressed.

Fortunately, by the time James and his guests had apparated into the entrance hall, Lily had changed, calmed herself down, and was just removing the chicken and roast vegetables from the oven.

"Lils?" James called out as he hung his cloak and those belonging to their friends in the front closet. "Lily?"

"Here James!" Lily responded and left the kitchen to meet them.

James stepped forward and tenderly kissed his wife in greeting. His hours at the ministry were longer than hers as she had a desk job and he was training to be an Auror.

Stepping out of her husbands embrace, Lily was immediately taken in by her best friends from Hogwarts. Courtney squealed and Gabby laughed as they all hugged each other.

"Lily!" Courtney exclaimed, holding her at arms length. "I can't believe it! To think I actually thought you'd be fat and pregnant by now!"

"Courtney!" Lily blushed. "We've only been married six months!"

Courtney shrugged. "Ah well. Plenty of time yet."

"Ignore her Lils," Gabby said, squeezing her hand. "Good things come to those who wait."

"Yeah, but they come more often to those who do something about it," Courtney retorted stubbornly.

"Now now ladies, let's leave talk of prospective children for later. I still have to greet Mrs Potter."

Stepping forward, Remus looked Lily up and down then held out his arms, which she gladly stepped into.

Lily held a soft spot for Remus. They had shared their seventh year as Head Boy and Girl at Hogwarts and she had even fancied him in their third year. He was the calming one and, in spite of his lycanthropy, she loved him dearly.

Letting her go, Remus made room for Sirius.

"Sirius! Where have you been?" Lily asked sternly, eyebrows raised in mock disapproval.

The object of her green-eyes gaze shuddered. "Please Lils, don't you feel any guilt over greeting the best man of your wedding with a McGonagall?"

Lily laughed with everyone at this, then hugged him fiercely. "Not when said best man leaves without any clue as to where he's going or when he'll be back."

"I sent owls!"

"Maybe so, but a location would have been nice, at least every once in a while. We were worried about you!"

Sincerely, Sirius responded, "I'm sorry Lily, I won't do it again."

Lily nodded in acceptance of this. "Good. Now, on a different note, I'm sure you're all starving. Dinner's ready, so just come through."

She turned to walk back down the hall but turned back to face her husband. "James dear, the next time you want to invite unexpected guests to dinner, tell me to expect them before you leave for training."

James smiled sheepishly as their friends laughed. "Yes love. I'll remember that."

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The plates were washing themselves in the kitchen sink and the tea and coffee had been served. For a dinner party prepared at such short notice, everything had gone remarkably well.

During the meal, Sirius had regaled them all with tales of his adventures, causing everyone to burst into fits of laughter numerous times. Lily shared points about her job and James told everyone the highlights of his Auror training. Courtney spoke for three quarters of an hour about her latest boyfriend and said in one sentence that she had found a job in the ministry's Department of Magical Transportation. Gabby revealed that she'd been offered a teaching position at Beauxbatons Academy in France and Remus finally admitted, after much prodding, that he had been unable to find work in the wizarding world due to his 'problem'. He was currently employed by a muggle bookshop. This revelation caused Lily to begin ranting about the injustices and prejudices of the wizarding world. She didn't quieten until James physically performed a silencing charm on her. Now, the meal over, they were left to discuss the recent darker happenings in the wizarding world.

"There'll be lots of work for you once you've got your diploma, eh Prongs, what with Dark wizards popping up left, right and centre," Sirius commented as he sipped his coffee.

"Please Sirius," Lily said with a noticeable shudder, "Don't say that."

James took one of his wife's hands and squeezed it gently. "Don't worry Lils, so far, I'm top of my class." He kissed her knuckles then turned to his friend. "I guess I will be busy. Not for a couple more years though. Auror training goes for three."

"Do they send you out on missions James?" Gabby asked.

He shook his head. "No. They used to, but with everything the way it is now, they've got us on simulations. They don't want us inexperienced young bucks getting ourselves killed."

"Thank Merlin for that," Lily murmured, fingering the phoenix necklace that she never went without.

Everyone was silent, mentally agreeing with Lily's prayer.

After a few moments though, Courtney spoke up. "Say, did Dumbledore speak to any of you about some kind of Dark wizard fighting group he's setting up?"

Each person around the table looked up at her in surprise. They all nodded warily.

"Good. What did you all say?"

"I accepted," Remus replied, "Though not until he assured me my being a werewolf would be an asset, not a burden."

"I did to," Sirius said with a firm nod.

"How did Dumbledore know where you were?" Gabby asked.

Sirius laughed. "My dear, is it not a known fact that Albus Dumbledore knows everything?"

Gabby blushed. "Right. Well, I declined. He insisted that we need allies abroad but I don't want to fight Dark wizards. I'm not cut out for that kind of thing."

"James and I are still considering it. We're so busy and we do want to start a family. We're not quite sure what we'll do yet."

James nodded in agreement with his better half. "Yeah, but what about you Courtney? You're the one who brought this up. What was your answer?"

Courtney shrugged. "I said no."

"No?" everyone exclaimed.

"That's right. No. I'd rather not get caught up in that whole saving the world thing. Besides, isn't that what Aurors are for?"

Lily was a little astonished at her friends reasoning. "But you were always so good at Defence Against the Dark Arts."

Courtney shrugged again. "So? That's self-defence. I don't know what I'd do if I had to watch out for other people too."

"That's ridiculous," Gabby remarked. "You'd be better off with other people."

At this, Courtney was instantly fired up. "You didn't accept either! Besides, it's my life and my decision. Understand?"

Gabby looked too shocked at her friend's outburst to reply. Instead, Remus stepped in. "We understand Courtney, but it seemed more likely that you'd say yes, so we're all a bit surprised. We don't mean anything by it."

Lily nodded. "Remus is right Courtney. We're sorry."

Courtney smiled slightly and apologized. After this, the conversation turned to other things and the evening continued in high spirits.

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**A/N: Well, it's not really up to the standard of 'Who's That Girl?' but it's only the beginning. I'm trying to set the scene here.**

**Maybe you people who didn't read the first fic should go back and read that before reading this. Things will probably make a little more sense. I can also foresee myself drawing significance to Lily's necklace, which is quite special. That's explained in the first one too. Ah well, you all have your own minds and can do as you please, just don't rule out reading 'Who's That Girl?'. It's actually quite good.**

**BTW! As those who have read 'Who's That Girl?' know, I'm in VCE now and won't have much free time. I will update ASAP. So, this is an advanced apology for the delays between chapters!**

**Until then though, how about a few nice reviews for yours truly? **


	2. A Day in the Office

**A/N: Hi again! Long time, no see, so to speak. I'd just like to apologise for the unbelievably long wait I've had between chapters. I had no idea that I would have so little free time. Anyways, I'll just get started on the chapter, shall I? **

**Disclaimer: Don't own it; it's as simple as that.**

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_**Previously**_

_During the meal, Sirius had regaled them all with tales of his adventures, causing everyone to burst into fits of laughter numerous times. Lily shared points about her job and James told everyone the highlights of his Auror training. Courtney spoke for three quarters of an hour about her latest boyfriend and said in one sentence that she had found a job in the ministry's Department of Magical Transportation. Gabby revealed that she'd been offered a teaching position at Beauxbatons Academy in France and Remus finally admitted, after much prodding, that he had been unable to find work in the wizarding world due to his 'problem'. He was currently employed by a muggle bookshop. This revelation caused Lily to begin ranting about the injustices and prejudices of the wizarding world. She didn't quieten until James physically performed a silencing charm on her. Now, the meal over, they were left to discuss the recent darker happenings in the wizarding world._

"_There'll be lots of work for you once you've got your diploma, eh Prongs, what with Dark wizards popping up left, right and centre," Sirius commented as he sipped his coffee._

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**A Mother's Love**

**Chapter Two: A Day in the Office**

Lily and James apparated into the Atrium of the Ministry together, as they had from the day they married, or at least since returning from their honeymoon.

They walked in step to the crowd awaiting the lifts and waited for one to reach them in a comfortable silence. The pair always fascinated newcomers to the Ministry and the regulars loved watching them too. James would always make sure to shorten his stride so that Lily's shorter legs could keep up. Sometimes they arrived in the middle of a conversation about trivial domestic things or debating some topic or other. People especially loved it when James said something funny and they laughed together. Some days they never said anything at all. To everyone outside their little world, the Potters were perfect.

A lift arrived and Lily and James stepped in, oblivious to the attention they received every morning. They squeezed themselves into one of the back corners and watched, still in silence, as one tiny wizard attempted to enter the lift balancing a tottering pile of boxes without sending them falling on to anyone. Once the wizard had successfully entered the lift, the golden grilles crashed together and they began the steady ascension.

They came to a halt only a couple of seconds later when they reached the next level. A tinny, female voice sounded from some unknown source, saying "Level Seven, Department of Magical Games and Sports, incorporating the British and Irish Quidditch League Headquarters, Official Gobstones Club and Ludicrous Patents Office."

The grilles pulled themselves apart. The chains that did the job strained and screeched loudly making it sound as though the lift was dying a _very_ painful death.

A couple of people got out, including the tiny wizard with his many boxes, and then they were off again. They stopped at each level to let off people. It was really too early in the morning for people to be found going down to the lower levels.

By the time they reached their floor, Lily and James were alone with one other witch, who seemed to be muttering to herself in a low voice and glancing around the cramped compartment suspiciously.

The voice came out of nowhere once again, this time saying, "Level Two, Department of Magical Law Enforcement, including the Improper Use of Magic Office, Auror Headquarters and Wizengamot Administration Services."

The grilles opened yet again and the Potters and the muttering witch stepped out. The witch walked up to the first door on the left side of the corridor that stretched out before them and, after giving a complex little knock, was let in by a younger wizard. Lily and James watched as the wizard shook his head in what seemed to be exasperation at hearing the witch's mutterings.

Lily and James shared a bemused look as the wizard shut the door behind the witch. They walked off down the hall and around the corner, through the large, wooden double doors. The space beyond was divided up into small cubicles. It was the Auror Headquarters.

Lily followed James to his tiny desk, not that he really needed one as he was only in training but it gave him somewhere to put all his belongings. It was a cluttered little space, with piles of paper and empty sweet wrappers. Lily was glad to see, as she always was at that time of morning, their wedding photo sitting in pride of place.

She smiled at the image herself in the beautiful white gown who was laughing in between kisses from James.

James put his bag on top of the papers before turning to his wife. "Have a nice day love. We still on for lunch?"

Lily grinned. "Of course. Choose somewhere nice."

"Don't I always?"

Lily laughed and leaned in for her husband's kiss, which he lovingly gave. She turned away and walked back through Auror HQ to get to the other side of the floor.

She made her way down the hall to the Improper Use of Magic Office and towards her desk.

Lily's desk was slightly larger than her husband's and a little tidier. Still, that didn't mean she had any less work to do.

Setting her bag down underneath her desk, Lily turned to the neatly stacked piles of paper and began skimming them. There were a few papers concerning overnight happenings that Lily would be expected to write reports for but not much more.

"Looks like just another boring day in the office," Lily said to herself, opening her inkbottle.

She paused for a moment, thinking about the encounter she and her DADA essay had had with a bottle of ink about a year ago. She smiled softly, remembering James' generous offer and her refusal. What would have happened if she had acted out of character and accepted? She wouldn't have ended up in detention for one thing, meaning that James never would have followed her to the trophy room to take her walking. They never would have found the mirror room. If James had taken detention in her place, the idea of going down to see him would never have even dared to cross her mind.

"That doesn't mean we wouldn't be together though. It just might have taken a little longer, is all."

"What might have taken a little longer?"

Lily turned around and saw one of the women who worked across the office from her. What was her name again? Martha? Yes, that was it, Martha, the woman who knew all the gossip in the office.

Lily smiled sweetly. "Good morning Martha. How are you today?"

"Fine thank you," Martha replied and took a bite out of the Danish she held. "What would have taken longer?"

"You never give up, do you?"

Martha smirked. "Of course not. The only way to get anywhere in this world is to persist."

"I am in total agreement; and I was only thinking about something that happened last year at Hogwarts, that's all. It wouldn't interest you, or anyone else for that matter."

Martha raised an eyebrow. "Actually, it probably would, but I'm going to let you off the hook today Lily, though only because I have too much work to do back at my desk."

"Of course. I understand Martha."

Martha nodded in reply and Lily watched her walk back to her desk. Lily believed that gossips only gossiped because their own lives were so dull; if she ever had to do a presentation on it, she could use Petunia to back up her theory.

Laughing at the sight of her sister with her binoculars in hand and the neighbours lounge room window in front of her, Lily dipped her quill in the ink and set about writing up the morning reports.

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Lily was filing a couple of last reports before leaving for her lunch date with James. She always looked forward to lunchtimes, as most people admittedly did, but she loved the way it broke up her day.

At lunch, if one of them didn't have to cancel suddenly, James and Lily would share everything that happened in their respective offices that morning, so when they returned home at the end of the day, they could talk about what had happened during the second half of the day and other things besides.

Lily capped her inkbottle hurriedly then picked up her bag. She had taken two steps away from her desk when someone abruptly stepped into her path.

Quickly stopping her forward motion, Lily looked into Courtney's tear streaked face. Her hair was straggly and escaping from the plait that confined it; her make-up was running in colourful streaks down her cheeks. Lily noted that her friend wore the same clothes that she had worn to dinner the night before.

"Courtney! What is it? What's happened?"

Courtney seemed unable to say anything, only gasping in tear-choked sobs.

Everyone was staring at them, so Lily took Courtney firmly by the elbow and propelled her out of the office. They had just reached the hall when James came barrelling down it towards them.

He skidded to a stop in front of them. "Lily, we didn't look at the Daily Prophet this morning!"

Lily raised an eyebrow in bewilderment. "No, we didn't. What's going on?"

"Courtney didn't show up for work this morning. We have to find her!"

"James," Lily said, watching as her husband muttered to himself about "the _one_ day we didn't check the paper."

He showed no sign of having heard her. "James!"

"What?"

Lily jerked her head to the right and James' eyes followed her movement. "Courtney! Thank Merlin! I didn't even notice; I was so caught up in the news."

"News?" Lily was confused. What had happened? "What news?"

James stared at her in shock. "You don't know?"

"Don't know what!" Lily said, exasperated.

James pulled a folded copy of the _Prophet_ from an inner pocket of his robes. He handed it to her quite solemnly and moved Courtney to a bench on the wall.

Lily slowly opened the paper, not sure what she would find.

Her eyes took in the photo of the Dark Mark in the centre of the page. She didn't want to read the article; she didn't know if she could. Instead, she turned towards her husband and friend. Courtney was hugging herself and swaying backwards and forwards, eyes tightly shut to block out the world. James had an arm around her shoulders, making soothing noises.

He looked up at Lily, knowing instantly that she couldn't bring herself to read it. Standing up, he walked towards her and took the hand that didn't limply hold the paper.

"James?" she asked in a soft, fearful voice.

He sighed and messed up his hair. It was a nervous habit now, instead a way of getting attention.

"I didn't even know until about ten minutes ago," he whispered. "Everyone must have been talking about it, but I was busy with training. I only noticed the paper on someone's desk when I got back.

"I spoke to my parents about it before I came to find you. They thought we knew."

He was silent for a moment, composing himself. "If we hadn't had everyone over for dinner last night, Courtney might be dead right now."

The hand that held the _Prophet_ went slack and the paper dropped to the floor with a rustle. Lily's eyes widened. "Dead?"

He nodded. "I talked to some of the Aurors who showed up on the scene. Apparently, while we were sitting down to dessert, a couple of Death Eaters showed up at Courtney's boyfriends house. He must have had a run in with one of them. You know how Death Eaters bear grudges.

"An elderly neighbour raised the alarm when she opened her door to call in her cat and saw the Mark. The Aurors found him dead on the kitchen floor.

"Courtney showed up a couple of hours later, obviously after she left our house. She became distraught and must have disappeared because we're the first people to see her since."

With tears in her eyes, Lily looked over at Courtney, who hadn't moved from the bench. "Poor Courtney. I don't believe it. How could this happen?"

James shrugged, gathering his wife into his arms. "I don't know Lils."

"What are we going to do for her?"

"There's nothing we can do. All we can do is be supportive. It must be hard for her. Harder than hard."

Lily nodded and buried her face in his shoulder. James' arms, which were tight around her waist, and the heartbeat she could hear in his chest were comforting and constant. She could feel just how much he loved her in the way his fingers rubbed soothingly on the small of her back…

… And in a time like this, strength, consistency and love were everything.

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**A/N: OK then, well, what did you think? This wasn't exactly supposed to happen, it came to me half way through, and as a result, some of my story line has been forced to change. Don't worry though, things are better this way.**

**Once again, sorry for the delay. Please leave a review on your way out. :D**


	3. Author's Note

**IMPORTANT NOTICE: **

_"The time has come," the Walrus said,__  
__"To talk of many things:__  
__Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--__  
__Of cabbages--and kings--__  
__And why the sea is boiling hot--__  
__And whether pigs have wings."_

'The Walrus and the Carpenter', Lewis Carroll

I have been trying to put off making this announcement for weeks now, but over the last few months I haven't been able to deny that it would come. All writers here are aware that there will come a day when they will simply out-grow FanFiction, both as writers and as people. I feel that I have reached that day. Yes, I am aware that I have left projects unfinished, and I do still intend to finish them someday, I even still have ideas that could make good little one-shots, but these are no longer my focus.

In October I graduated from high school and in mid- December I received a letter from a university that they intend to offer me a place for the course I desperately want to do in the New Year. It is a course on professional writing and editing and I feel certain that the skills I have collected as a member of the FanFiction community will serve me well. However, as I ultimately intend to make my living as a published author I feel that I should stop seriously writing FanFiction and instead focus all my efforts on the plots I've developed over the years but always put on the back burner for various different reasons.

I will not be removing my stories from the site, as I don't really see a reason to. They will remain here for all to enjoy and re-read if they wish. God, even I come here to re-read them sometimes. I will also remain open to betaing projects if any other writers out there require advice or editors.

I have sincerely enjoyed the time I've spent writing for FanFiction, and am grateful for all the support I have been given. I only hope that you can understand my decision and support me in this also.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

Marie


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